Plug for electric-circuit connections



Aug. 10,1926.

M. W. M ARDLE PLUG FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUIT CONNECTIONS Filed April 16, 1925 Z52 Venfar .Z/Z' ewzmwmk I @am Patented Au '10, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MICHAEL w. ncannnn, o1- omoaeo, rumors.

PLUG FOR ELECTRIC-CIRCUIT CONNECTIONS.

Application filed April 16, 1925. Serial No. 23,545.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a plug embodying this invention in one of the two forms to be described. k

Figure 2 is a section at the line 2-2 on Figure 1, being substantially a top plan view of the device shown in said Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the housing with the securing clips or clasps removed and without the inleading circuit wires.

Figure 4 is an elevation of the inner face of one of the housing members with the in leading circuit wires and terminals in place thereln.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the clasps by which the housing members are held together.

Figure 6 is a section at the line 6-6 on Figure 1. i

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing a different form of the device.

Figure8 is a side elevation of one member of the housing of the .form shown in Figure 7 stripped of the securing clasps and inleading wires.

Figure .9 is a section at the line 9-9 on Figure 7.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of one of the clasps for the forms shown in Figures 7 and 8.

Figure 11 is an elevation of the clasp shown in Figure 10 in its form before having been folded into the fork or clasp for- 5 mation.

Figure 12 is an elevation of the inner face of one of the housing members with the inleading circuit wires and terminals in place therein.

The form of the device shown in Figures 1 to 6 inclusive will first be described. The device com rises a housing consisting of two members 0 identical formation made of insulating material, mated face-to face, having in their meeting faces recesses for 210001111110 dating the inleading wires and terminals thereof, and having on their outer faces recesses for seating the securing devices which are in the form of forked clasps as hereinafter described. The form of the housing members, 10, 10, may be understood most u clearlyfrom Figures 3 and 4. In Figure 3 there may be seen the exterior recesses for accommodating the forked clasp hereinafter described, said recesses comprising the longitudinal portion 10, for accommodating the fork arms of the clasp, the top or cross-over portion, 10. for accommodating the nexus of the clasp, and the portion, 10, at the lower end for accommodating the transverse fork bars of the clasp. In Figure 4 may be seen the interior recess for accommodating the inleading circuit wires and terminals, said recess being continubusfand Indicated throughout by ,the reference character, 10, applied at several parts of that recess to indicate its continuity; The specific purpose of the invention j is to dispense with screws or the like for attaching or clamping together the housing members for enclosing theinleading circuitfwires and terminals, and theclasps, for that purpose, are of fork formation, two clasps being applied one over and the Clasps. for that purpose. are of fork arms extending down at opposite sides in the identical exterior longitudinal recesses, 10,

of the two housing members .and having transverse fork arms at the lower ends of the longitudinal arms for seating in the recesses, 10, of the housing members respectively. These clasps. indicated each as to its entirety by the reference numeral, 11, comprise therefore each two longitudinal fork arms, 11*, a nexus, 11", connecting them for lodgment in the recess, 10*, at the shoulder of the housing and a transverse fork bar, 11", at the lower endof each of the longitudinal fork bars, 11', these -transverse bars not being continuous with each other but severed substantiall} atthe parting plane of the housing members as seen at 11, and being pref; erably-inwardly flanged at their loweredges as seen at 11., for hooking over the lower endsof the housing members. It may be understood that the manner of assembling the device will be to first lodge the inleading circuit wires with their terminals in'one member of the housing as seen in Figure 4, then apply the other housing memberto the first, mating the two members line for line, then introducing over the shoulders of the assembled housing, the clasp members one by one, slidingthem down until the longitudinal fork arms and the'transverse fork arms at the lower ends snap into their respective seats formed by the surface recesses in the housing members. It will be understood that reliance is placed upon the re siliency of the metal of which the fork members are composed to adapt them thus to snap into and .be held securely in their seats, and it will be understood that for this quality or function the nexus which lodges in the shoulder recesses of the hous'ingmember should'be relatively quite still. To obtain the desirable stifiness the clasps may be constructed as seen most clearly in Figure 5, each clasp being made of two .pieces folded at the upper ends for forming the nexus,

the folded ends indicated at 11 in Figure 5 nesses of metal. Advantage may be taken of this two piece construction of the clasp I to avoid reliance upon the resiliency of the their proper the clasp, or both arms'of the fork. This metal for applying the clasp, the screw 11 being withdrawn and the two members .released from clamping suiiiciently so that they may be spread to permit the. clasp to be applied and its members introduced into seats without materially springing the metal, the screws being then tightened and thereby drawing the members together for snug seating throughout.

The form shown in Figures 7 8, 9, 10 and 11 difiers'from that shown in the Preceding figures chiefly in that instead of having the longitudinal fork arms extended up and over the top shoulder of the housing, they are deflected below the shoulder so that the nexus crosses the lateral or vertical side edge ferencemay be most clearly understood by comparing the perspective views of the clasp members in the two forms, namely, Figures,

5 and 10. Describing this second form in detail-the housing members, 20, 20, have their interior faces provided with a recess, 20, for seating the inleading wires and terminals and their outer surfaces provided with the recess comprising the longitudinally extending portion, 20 deflected below the shoulder at 20 leading to the cross-over recess, 20, the longitudinal recess, 20", being continuous from its lower end with the transverse recess, 20, which, as in the form of the earlier figures, extends around the lateral edge of the housing as seen at 20. The clasp memberfor this form of housing comprises the longitudinalfork arm, 2P, deflected outwardly at 21", and extending thence transversely in the portion, 21, to-the nexus, 21 this description applying to both sides of formation having the transverse deflection of the longitudinal arm to reach the nexus,

and the nexus-being across the vertical edge instead of acrossthe top shoulder of the device, aii'ords opportunity for providing a longitudinal bar at the edge of the housing lapping the meeting plane of the housing members as shown at 21 this arm extending down between thesevered or parted ends of the transverse arm, 21*, as seen in Fig. 11, said transverse arm having an inturned flange, 21, and the end of the bar, 21 being bent inward at the lower end as seen at 21 to supplement this-flange by similar engagement with the lower end of the housing.

' I claim 1. Anelectric circuit connection plug comprising for holding .inleadingcircuit' terminals and contacts, mated housingv members of insulating material adapted for enclosing between them and separating from h each other the circuit terminals, and forked clasps adapted to be applied exteriorly to said housing members astride the meeting plane of said members, each fork arm comprising apart which extends longitudinally of the housing, and a part extending transversely of the same, the housing members having surface recesses correspondingly arranged extending longitudinally and transversely for seating said forked arm, whereby the clasps stop the housing members relatively to each other both longitudinally and transversely.

2. An electric circuit connection plug comprising for holding inleading circuit terminals and contacts mated housing members of insulating. material adapted for enclosing between them and separating from each other the circuit terminals, two independent clasps adapted to be applied each instead of thetop or shoulder. This ditfor striding one longitudinal edge of the housing, the housing members having each in the outwardly facing lateral surfaces at opposite sides of the middle longitudinal line thereof receme'cl seats extending longitudinally of the housin for receiving correspondingly arranged ars of the respective clasps, each fork arm of each clasp comprising a bar positioned for seating in the correspondin housing mem er at the striding position of the clasp.

3. An electric circuit connection plug comprising for holding inleading circuit terminals and contacts, matcd'housing members ofinsulating material adapted for enclosing between them and separating from.

toward the opposite that at which the longitudinal recess of the circuit was enter the housing, and being parted at a plane intermediate said for arms, whereby the connection of the two transversely extending fork arms is formed byythe connection between .the two longitudinally extending arms. a

4. An electric circuit connection plug comprising for holding inleading circuit termintals and contacts, ma ted housing members of insulating material adapted for en-.

closing between them ,andse arating from each other the circuit-terminal s, and forked clasps adapted to be applied exteriorly to said housing. members astride the meeting plane of the -latter, "each clasp having longitu'dinallyt extending and transversely extending fork arms, the transversel extending arms being carried respective y at the ends of the lon itudinall y extending armsand being severe from each ,otherat a plane intermediate saidarms, wherebyjthe connectiofi -between the longitudinal fork arms! constitutes the sole connection between the transverse fork arms, the longitudinally extending arms'being rigidly and separably secured together, and an. ext'eriorly accessible and operable screw for securing the arms -together; -whe'reby the-fork may be arted and the two parts separately and .girectlylodged in and withdrawn fromthe surface recesses in spectively. In testimony the housing members rewhereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 26th day of Februa p a MCARDLE, 

